Interlude
by Byakko's Kitten
Summary: AU oneshot set in my yettobe written Shifterverse. A day in the life of Zack, Cloud and Sephiroth. giftfic for takefuji over on lj.


AN: For the latest batch of Takefuji's wallpapers.

Interlude

Waking up to 600 plus pounds of white Mountain Tiger in your bed would be a cause of panic for most people. Unless you happened to be a certain Shinra General and his second-in-command. Then it was simply a habitual occurrence; one of the side effects of having a lycanthrope lover who was often more comfortable as a tiger than human. Unfortunately, said lover also had a tendency to wrap himself around the both of you in whichever form he slept in, and it is considerably harder to wriggle your way free from a tiger's embrace than a humans. Particularly when Cloud's tail is wrapped securely around your waist, and his front paws are tangled in Seph's hair. When you were the one sleeping in the middle last night. Which means getting up is practically impossible without waking one of them up.

It's another hour of being half-asleep before one of them wakes up. Cloud's pretty blue eyes are the first to open and he lets out an apologetic rumble as his body resumes its human… ish form. He's the first off the bed, as you hear Sephiroth waking up behind you. It's near impossible to resist running a hand along Cloud's tail as you slip past him and into the bathroom. As you strip and start your shower, you can't help but be a little sad about the fact that the situation in his hometown was so bad for him that he resorted to wandering the mountains in tiger form than stay as a human.

You like the results of it though. When he's not in his fully human form(or as close to it as he can get) you find him incredibly cute. The tiger stripes are part of him, no matter the form, as are the sharp little claws instead of nails. Your favorite features however, are the tiger tail and ears; and the way stroking them certain ways can drive him insane with pleasure. Seph has a fascination for Cloud's eyes, different in color but so similar in shape to his own; the result of years of experiments and treatments by that scientist. At least the bastard is dead now. Cloud saw to that himself. He's never said anything about what he did, only that the man is dead. You're happy about that, because Seph is safe from his machinations now, and the two of you got a lover who could care less about your ranks; who _loves_ the both of you, a fierce kind of love, and you know that Cloud will never, ever let the two of you go. He's said before that if it comes to it, he'd Turn the both of you in an instant; if it meant saving you.

Finished with your shower and dressed, you wander into the kitchen, where you're greeted with the familiar sight of Seph cooking breakfast; Cloud perched on the counter behind him, claws running through that mass of silver. The three of you eat quietly, barely any conversation.

While taking care of the dishes Seph reminds you of the Department Head Meeting today. You're not happy about it, but the two of you do need to be there. Cloud announces that he's coming too. Seph reminds him he doesn't have clearance yet. You burst into laughter at the answer; "If Rufus Shinra can take that Holy-damned mutt of his into a meeting, you can take a tiger." When Cloud produces a black leather collar, you join forces with him and talk Seph into it. It'll keep you from being bored at least.

And you're right. The stares as you and Seph walk through the complex, accompanied by a massive Mountain Tiger are both awed and somewhat fearful. The Turks reactions when you enter the board room are amusing. Rude had an actual expression on his face. Tseng drew his gun, and Reno? Well, Reno collapsed against the wall laughing. You yourself enjoyed watching Dark Nation acknowledge Cloud as alpha; much to the Shinra Brat's chagrin.

All in all it was a good day, you think to yourself that night. Tonight it's Cloud's turn in the middle, and he's not in shift at the moment, so you're stroking his tail as it twines around your wrist, Cloud himself half-sprawled on Seph's chest. You settle down and pull the covers over the three of you. Tomorrow's an early day after all.

END


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